Just because I am busy all the time does not mean that I am getting closer to where I want to be. I was able to achieve the things I’ve achieved only because I knew I wanted them in the first place.

Goals keep me motivated.

Goals remind me why I am doing what I do.

“He who has a why can bear almost any how.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

With a clear WHY in mind, I am more likely to get things started, build the momentum with every small win along the way, and the more action I take, the more confident and motivated I become.

Goals make me proactive

Most of my life, I was just letting things happen to me and then reactive to them. I was very passive in my approach to life, until I set goals and made plans to achieve them. I felt like a switch was suddenly turned on and I automatically became very proactive. I started to reach out to people who could help me, I figured out resources that I needed, I learned to think ahead of time and always have a Plan B. My goals make me take actions and propel me to make progress.

Life provides new opportunities all the time. I always have many different ideas that I want to pursue. Before I realize it, I am doing many things at the same time, spreading myself thin. With goals, I will no longer be distracted. I know what is more important and urgent, I know how to allocate my energy and time to only do things that help me achieve my goals, and I know how to do one thing at a time and produce the best quality work that I can.

Goals keep me accountable.

The next time I want to binge-watch a TV show, we will be immediately reminded that “No, I have to finish my tasks for today first.”

I hope this inspires you to set your goals for 2019 and have the most productive year ever! Share your goals for 2019 in the comment section. Would love to help each other be accountable in achieving our dreams

]]>https://myvibrantchaos.com/2019/01/20/how-goal-setting-changed-my-life/feed/0melodyrunminwuestee-janssens-396889-unsplash.jpgchase-clark-734434-unsplash.jpgSelf-Discovery – The Bloghttps://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/12/23/self-discovery-the-blog/
https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/12/23/self-discovery-the-blog/#commentsSun, 23 Dec 2018 22:54:01 +0000http://myvibrantchaos.wordpress.com/?p=310Continue reading →]]>As Christmas and New Year approach, it is the perfect time for us to review our 2018 and plan for 2019!

Planning for future can be a daunting task if we don’t already know who we really are and what we really want. That is what we are going to tackle in this blog through a process called “self-discovery”.

It is through self-discovery that we learn to understand our thoughts, desires, motivation, and purpose in life. Without that understanding, it will be like trying to find a restaurant in Detroit while holding a map of New York City. We will only end up getting lost no matter how fast we walk. It’s also like trying so hard to climb to the top of a ladder only to find out that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall the whole time.

Part of discovering who we are is to explore our values and principles. People use the words “values” and “principles” interchangeably, thinking that they are the same thing. The truth is that they are actually very different.

Value is something that everybody determines for themselves what it is that they value. It is very individual.

People can have opposite values. For example, I can value honesty. But others might value dishonesty because based on their life experience, lying has been helping to get them what they want. And thieves can have shared values for money more than anything else.

People can also have the same value but totally different results. For example, we can value loyalty and be loyal to our friends. And gangsters can value loyalty to their “family” and commit crimes.

Principles. however, are natural laws that exist, whether we know them, believe them, or understand them or not. Just like “natural physical laws” such as gravity. We might not understand gravity but if we drop something, it will for sure fall to the ground.

It is very important that we recognize that there are also principles in life for happiness, success, relationships and so on, because otherwise, we might think that everything is just random. It will then be very hard for us to learn from past experience and grow.

Then we need to put forward the effort to try to discover what the principles in life are, and make sure that we set our values according to the principles.

We might value something and think that it will bring us happiness, but if it is not in alignment with the principles, we will not be able to find happiness through it.

CORRECT PRINCIPLES

In order to live a principle-centred life, we need to first be aware of what correct principles are out there.

For example, in the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey mentioned principles such as FAIRNESS, out of which our whole concept of equality and justice is developed; INTEGRITY, which creates the foundation of trust which is essential to cooperation and long-term personal and interpersonal growth; SERVICE, or the idea of making a contribution; QUALITY or excellence; POTENTIAL, which is the idea that we can grow and develop and release more and more potential, develop more and more talents; highly related to potential is the principle of GROWTH – the process of releasing potential and developing talents, with the accompanying need for principles such as PATIENCE, NURTURANCE, and ENCOURAGEMENT.

Nowadays, we see a lot of “get rich quick” or “get popular quick” schemes that promise quality results with very little work. To me, they are just quick-fixes that are not sustainable.

The reason why they won’t work in the long-run is simple. There are sequential stages of growth and development in all of life. You simply cannot violate, ignore, or shortcut the development process. It’s like a child first have to learn how to crawl, then stand, then walk, and then run. You can’t skip the stages.

It takes time and effort to step-by-step get to build personal #characters and get to where we want to be. There’s no shortcut to the process of growth. Quick-fixes might work for a short while, but without first building the foundation for success, the short-term success you have will not last.

PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

I suggest that we write down all of our values and read them regularly. It will give us a sense of clarity and make it much easier for us to stick to them.

What we write down is our Personal Mission Statement, or personal constitution, like the United States Constitution.

“It is our fundamental life philosophy or creed, a written standard against which every decision concerning the most effective use of our time, our talents, and our energies can be measured. It focuses on what we want to be (or our characters) and what we want to do (or our contributions and achievements).”

Try this exercise. Just remember that everybody’s personal mission statement will be unique both in content and format. And because it takes time to develop a personal mission statement, it is okay if you can’t finish it in one go.

Don’t worry if you still have no idea what to do. Check out my mission statement as if you need more inspiration.

So write down your own Personal Mission Statement and refer to it whenever we need to to help us focus on living a principle-centred life.

]]>https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/12/23/self-discovery-the-blog/feed/1melodyrunminwuannie-spratt-223429-unsplash.jpgkelly-sikkema-411622-unsplash.jpgMy Personal Mission Statementhttps://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/12/15/my-personal-mission-statement/
https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/12/15/my-personal-mission-statement/#commentsSun, 16 Dec 2018 00:51:30 +0000http://myvibrantchaos.wordpress.com/?p=304Continue reading →]]>According to Stephen R. Covey, the Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, a Personal Mission Statement is like a personal constitution. It is “a written standard, the key criterion by which everything else is evaluated and directed.”

I suggest that once we write it down, we read it, review it, and update it regularly. It will give us a sense of clarity in life, and help us stay true to who we are. Stephen put it nicely, he says that “it is the basis for making daily decisions in the midst of the circumstances and emotions that affect our lives. It empowers individuals with the same timeless strength in the midst of change.”

I have written my personal mission statement and will share it here with you, in the hope that it will inspire you to write yours too. I wrote most of them but I also borrowed some from elsewhere.

Just remember that everybody’s personal mission statement will be unique both in content and format. And because it takes time to develop a personal mission statement, it is okay if you can’t finish it in one go.

Do not fear mistakes-fear only the absence of creative, constructive and corrective responses to those mistakes.

There is no failure, only learning opportunities.

Live a principle-centred life.

Keep an open mind and embrace positive changes.

So make the effort, be patient, and enjoy the process of growth.

Be proactive, instead of reactive.

Cherish freedom but also act responsibly.

Do one thing at a time.

Strive for effectiveness, not just efficiency.

Maintain a positive attitude and outlook on life.

Keep a sense of humour.

Be orderly in person and in work.

Think and seek win/win.

Always plan ahead but expect the unexpected and be willing to be flexible and spontaneous.

Wherever I go, try to leave a positive legacy.

Seek to inspire and be inspired.

Cherish the relationships with my family and friends.

Practice gratitude.

Hear both sides before judging.

Respect diversity.

Cultivate deep and meaningful relationships.

Seek first to understand, and then to be understood.

]]>https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/12/15/my-personal-mission-statement/feed/1melodyrunminwudavid-iskander-599062-unsplash.jpgMindset – A Bloghttps://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/11/18/mindset-a-blog-2/
https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/11/18/mindset-a-blog-2/#commentsMon, 19 Nov 2018 03:16:11 +0000http://myvibrantchaos.com/?p=301Continue reading →]]>Mindset is how we’ve set up our mind to think. It is how we see the world and, more importantly, ourselves.

Mindset works like this: whenever we have a thought, we have feelings towards that thought, then our feelings trigger a behaviour, then that behaviour produces a consequence, and repeated behaviours produce long-term consequences. These consequences are what give us the results in all areas of our lives.

Mindset is our greatest asset because nothing can be more valuable than our own mind, it is something that we have total control over and something that no one can take away from us.

Mindset affects how we think, feel, behave, and have the results we are currently getting. This is good news because it also means that we can change our mindset to get different results.

It all starts with being more aware of what mindset we currently have. The more we notice what we have been thinking about, the more often we can interrupt the thought process and redirect it. If the mindset serves us, then reinforce it. Otherwise, redirect it, shift our mindset, and choose what we want to focus on.

We need to train ourselves to be more aware of our self-talk and our language, and the story we are telling ourselves. For example, are we telling ourselves that “Change is scary” instead of “Change is exciting and positive.” If we tell ourselves that change is scary, then unconsciously we will create a sense of anxiety whenever we are expecting new changes and we will spend energy to avoid and resist change.

Also, we need to be aware of how we talk to others. Are we always complaining instead of trying to come up with solutions to our problems?

There are a few strategies to cultivate our awareness. We can journal and write down your thoughts and feelings, our conversations with others, and we can meditate, and we can ask others to keep us in check. We might be surprised to find out how often our mind is thinking about thoughts that are not entirely true, productive, or beneficial to us.

2. Embrace a new IDENTITY.

Once you are aware of what mindset you have and decide on what mindset to reinforce and what mindset needs an upgrade, the best way to shift our mindset is to embrace a new IDENTITY, to visualize and more importantly, to act as if we were already the person we want to be.

So take a moment, do a visualization exercise with me. Think REALLY hard about this better version of ourselves. What lifestyle do I have? Where am I? What am I doing right now? What am I wearing? Who am I with? How am I feeling? Go into as much detail as possible and make it as real as it can be.

If a situation arises, ask, “What would the new me say or do?” and say that or do that exact thing. For example, to quit smoking, instead of saying “I’m trying to quit”, say “I am not a smoker”. I have embraced this new identity so I am acting like a non-smoker. This is much more effective because remember,

“It is easier to act our way into a new way of thinking, then to think our way into a new way of acting. — Jerry Sternie”

3. Read, apply, and repeat.

Leaders are readers. If someone can condense decades of their life or their work into one book and share their wisdom with us, I can’t think of a reason why we would not want to read it.

For example, one of the most important mindset shifts that I personally experienced was through reading the book about The Growth Mindset.

People with a growth mindset believe that intelligence and skills can be developed with effort. They value learning over failure, process over results. On the contrary, people with a fixed mindset believe that everything is fixed. They see failure as an insult and challenges as potential threats to their intelligence.

After reading this mind-opening book, I started to believe that my brain is not fixed but is in fact very malleable, and that I can change, learn, and grow in all areas of my life anytime I want, and that there is no failure, only learning opportunities.

4. Create a community of like-minded people.

This is a very simple and effective strategy but not many people are using it. It is to surround ourselves with people that match our desired mindset.

We are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. So in order to improve and grow, we need to make intentional effort to surround ourselves with the right people. Notice how I mentioned “intentional effort” here. That is the crucial part and that is where a lot of people fail. It is common sense that we need to constantly upgrade our network, but a lot of us just wait for smart people to show up in our lives, or we just think that successful people will never care to spend time with us. That is why the title of this episode is to “CREATE a community of like-minded people”.

Pay attention to how they think, talk, and behave. What is the mindset that they have that has made them more successful than us. We will be more motivated to adopt a new mindset when we see it working for someone else.

Do not take amazing people in our lives for granted, also do not feel afraid to reach out to them and turn them into our ally. More strategies on building friendships in a future post. Stay tuned!

5. Take actions

Good things come to those who take actions, not those who wait. So Take actions and start creating new habits to match the new mindset and support the mindset change.

We have already discussed quite a few actionable steps, so together, let’s try journaling and meditating, visualizing and acting like a new person, reading a chapter a day and learning about the correct mindset, reaching out to people we admire and forming our own support system, or whatever works for you.

]]>https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/11/18/mindset-a-blog-2/feed/2melodyrunminwudaniel-hjalmarsson-597537-unsplash.jpgTravel Made Me a Real Minimalisthttps://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/11/03/travel-made-me-a-real-minimalist/
https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/11/03/travel-made-me-a-real-minimalist/#commentsSat, 03 Nov 2018 12:55:16 +0000http://myvibrantchaos.wordpress.com/?p=283Continue reading →]]>We’ve been traveling for 12 days now. It all happened so fast. From six months ago when we first had this idea to become digital nomads, to now 12 days into this lifestyle, it all seems very surreal.

Since we started, we’ve been running our businesses online, sharing our travel journey with daily 1-minute vlogs, and trying our best to experience the local culture. There are a lot of challenges for sure, but I’m proud that so far we are managing it all well.

When I reflect on my personal journey so far, I noticed a few changes recently due to this unique lifestyle. One of them is my understanding of the relationship between minimalism and happiness.

I realized that I do not need a lot to be happy. Quite the opposite, I feel the happiest right now when I actually own the least I’ve ever owned in my life.

I learned this trending concept called “Minimalism” a while ago. I was trying to adopt it and doing some decluttering every once in a while. However, I was not successful until this sudden lifestyle change happened. It forced me to do a thorough decluttering and quickly get rid of as many physical possessions as I possibly can.

Leading up to our departure, I managed to sell our household belongings for a total of over $1,400 CAD, donate loads of stuff, and throw away others. What we ended up leaving behind with a friend in Canada were just two suitcases. We are only carrying with us two 40-litre backpacks and two small carry-on size luggages. The taxi driver who took us to the bus station on our day of departure was so surprised and said that “This is all you need to travel for two years?!”

I thought we would have trouble living our day-to-day life just because we do not have everything we used to have anymore. Turns out that we don’t need those things anyways. We have been living with only the essentials for 12 days now. Even though there are inconvenient moments, we always find a solution. Actually, those moments unexpectedly create opportunities for us to be creative and come up with alternative uses of things we do have. It truly is a fun process if you like problem-solving like we do

Not only did I get to declutter the physical possessions I have, more importantly, but I got to clean up my mental burdens too.

Being so far away from everything I am familiar with, I am given an opportunity to just be with myself, away from all distractions and stimulus that used to require so much of my attention and energy. A distance is created both in time and in space for me to analyze all my responsibilities and worries. I then unconsciously start to reconsider if they are actually important or if they matter to me at all. For example, I used to care a lot about what other people think of me, but now it all seems very irrelevant. This natural process makes me realize just how much physical and mental “stuff” I was holding on to that had been weighing me down the whole time.

This is very good for me because I so want to let go of unnecessary or unimportant things so that I can focus more on what really makes me happy. I want more time for reading, learning, experiencing, creating, reflecting, and exploring. I want to communicate more, understand more, and feel more…

The more I declutter both physically and mentally, the more I desire a simpler life, and in turn, feel the sense of urgency to declutter even more. It’s like an “addiction”, but a healthy one!

]]>https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/11/03/travel-made-me-a-real-minimalist/feed/3melodyrunminwumink-mingle-388667-unsplashWhy I Love Canada – Part 2: People who have changed my life in Canadahttps://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/10/29/why-i-love-canada-part-2/
https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/10/29/why-i-love-canada-part-2/#commentsMon, 29 Oct 2018 11:53:31 +0000http://myvibrantchaos.wordpress.com/?p=274Continue reading →]]>Here we are, in Cusco, Peru, the first stop of our two-year around-the-world travel. I missed one week of the blog post in the midst of all the crazy preparation work. At this very moment, I am sitting in this lovely bar at our Hostel. I feel like talking about our trip so far since it has been so eventful already, but first I should finish addressing why I love Canada. I realized that the further away I am from what I am familiar with, the more I think about where I came from and how I came to be where I am right now.

This blog is all about people I’ve met that have changed my life and made me fall in love with Canada.

First up, Stella.

She was the first friend I made in Canada and the best one too. We were both from China and connected online before we even arrived. She is one of the most generous, selfless, honest, and loyal friend anyone can ever ask for, like Ron in Harry Porter. It is rare for me to open my heart to someone and feel this safe. And she is just a very genuine person too. Something I find unique about her is that she has an authenticity filter for people, which I consider her secret power. It helps her to differentiate who is genuine and who is just taking advantage of others. I believe she is able to do that all because she possesses the ultimate authenticity herself. We are very different people and we do not have many shared interests but we have shared values, principles, and love for life.
Darren.
I met Darren in a networking event. First I thought he would just be another professional connection. It turns out to be much more than that. I consider him not just a caring mentor, but also a trusted friend, and a very loving guardian. I go to him whenever I have important decisions to make and he is always there for me. He has seen me grow from a sheltered and shy international student to a young professional, to a happily married woman, to a very independent entrepreneur, then to a world traveller. I couldn’t have made it without him. He saw something in me very early on that nobody saw, not even myself. He believed in me. He created experiences for me such as my first Christmas dinner at a traditional Canadian family, my first driving practice, and so many more.
The Radvenis.
It all started with a curious lady in a Starbucks who overheard my conversation with someone else and initiated a new conversation with me. Her name is Bozena and she is an immigrant from Poland. I was then introduced to her two sons, Martin and Alex, who were going to the same university as me. We quickly became friends and had a summer full of joy. I was also visiting their grandma and aunt regularly. This family has a very interesting dynamics. With their Polish origins and the mix of different cultures, they all have developed strong and unique personalities, and are very passionate in their own way. They love me with whole heart and make me feel like home. But I have very complicated feelings towards this family. I love them so much that whatever I have with them is just not enough for me; but at the same time, the relationship with each one of them is so beautiful that it breaks my heart at the mere thought of going beyond what we have, fearing that things will be forever different.
The love of my life!

We met in Copenhagen, Denmark. Anmol came to Canada for me and we stayed together ever since. More importantly, we grew together for three years as individuals and as a couple. Now we are taking a trip around the world to explore ourselves and the world. Who can be more important than him? He’s my best friend, my love, my Wikipedia, my entertainer, my GPS, my Think Tank, my tour guide, my MasterChef, my Teddy Bear, my personal trainer, my everything… I can never get enough of his witty jokes, or his spontaneous ideas. He is perfect and he is mine (Anmol made me change it from “He is not perfect but he is mine”).

These people have come into my life and changed it forever for the better. Stella made me believe that friendship can be so pure regardless of who we are as individuals. Darren made me feel like being accepted to the mainstream culture in Canada and being part of a traditional Canadian family. The Radvenis showed me how an immigrant family can come through all the struggles and have such a big heart to accept others. And Anmol opened my eyes and showed me all the possibilities in the world. I’m lucky to have all of them and they made me fall in love with my life Canada.

Now I have laid it all out, I realized something interesting. Somehow these people I consider very important to me all serve a very unique purpose in my life. Stella represents the piece of me as a Chinese who cherishes her own roots but also appreciates new cultures, Darren represents the piece of me as a Canadian resident who tries to embrace a new culture, the Radvenis represents the piece of me as an immigrant who goes through the transition and still stays true to who she is, and Anmol represents the piece of me as an international who is all about experiencing life and taking charge of her future.

Thank you all for being who you are and for being a friend of mine

]]>https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/10/29/why-i-love-canada-part-2/feed/2melodyrunminwuStella.JPGDarren.JPGMartin & Alex.pngAnmol.jpgWhy I Love Canada – Part 1https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/10/14/why-i-love-canada-part-1/
https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/10/14/why-i-love-canada-part-1/#respondMon, 15 Oct 2018 03:14:24 +0000http://myvibrantchaos.wordpress.com/?p=271Continue reading →]]>Five years ago, I landed in Canada as an international student. In retrospect, I am very happy that I chose to come to Canada, not the US, not the UK, not anywhere else, but Canada.

Now that we are going to embark on a new adventure of travelling around the world for 2 years, we really have started to miss Canada even before we leave. Throughout my life, I have travelled and lived in many different places and I know that this, the feeling of missing a country, is something that does not happen too often.

Based on my personal experience living in Canada for 5 years so far, here are what why I love Canada.

Photo by Ali Tawfiq on Unsplash

Cultural Diversity

In 2011, Canada had a foreign-born population of about 6,775,800 people. They represented 20.6% of the total population, the highest proportion among the G8 countries.

With this cultural dynamic, “respect” is what I breathe in every day here. You might be puzzled. I should not be surprised by this because, in the Chinese culture, people are supposed to respect the elderly and care for the less privileged, right? That is true. Unfortunately, that kind of “respect” we preach in the Chinese culture is really not the same “respect” that I am talking about here. In fact, the “respect” we emphasis on the Chinese culture might have just resulted in further inequality and disrespect.

That happens precisely because, in the Chinese culture, we are supposed to have blind respect for whoever is superior to us, either in age or experience, regardless of whether it is justified or not. I personally think that respect is earned. No one automatically deserves more respect just because they are older, or sit higher in the pyramid of social status. For every one of us, we were born equal, and if we want to be respected, we have to start with respecting ourselves and others first before we gain any respect in return. And that is one of the most important lessons that living Canada has taught me.

Safety

Safety is another thing we should feel lucky about. Canada is among the safest country in the world to live in. I admire our gun control policies, our strong emphasis on mental health advocacy, and the general attitude of not wasting time giving excuses or pointing figures when it comes to tragic events but to quickly find solutions and prevent further damage.

Business Environment

On the institutional and systemic level, Canada is very well aware of the power of combining governments, NGO’s, private entities, and individual influencers. So instead of just assisting one or the other, Canada is doing a lot to promote the collaboration among some or all of them. At the same time, Canada is always inviting or accepting collaboration across borders with other countries.

In terms of mindset, more and more people are inspired and encouraged to innovate, to take risks, to voice their opinions, and to take actions to push the progress for things they care about.

The sense of community is so much stronger here than anywhere I’ve been to. Don’t mistake it with the concept of protectionism. It is very different! Because of the strong sense of community, people believe that each individual’s success is ultimately contributing back to the total good of the whole community so they help each other to reach their full potential, they care for others’ well-being, and they collaborate more often than compete.

I find this sentiment unique and very much ingrained in the culture. I once asked a business consultant why he provides his service free of charge. He says “I just want to give back because if I help you to be successful, you will be able to grow and hire more people, and I want to see you boost our economy and benefit everyone. Also, I would have never made it if it was not for my mentor. Now it is my turn to guide others.” I believe people here can resonate with his answer. It explains this great trend of community engagement and sustainable development that I see every single day in my life here.

Immigration Policy

Immigration policies are ever-changing with different political parties and their different philosophies. But at least with our current Liberal Party leadership, Canada has one of the best immigration policies in developed countries at this moment. It is partially due to the gap in the labour market. Canada has a very small population compared to its massive land and resources.

The Canadian government and its people know very well that the best and fastest way to fill in the gap is to open doors to attract workers from outside of its territory, especially skilled workers. That’s why Canada has tightened the restrictions for direct foreign investments into industries such as real estate but instead is giving away more and more privileges to international students because it realized sometime ago that the best way for immigrants to be successful in its cultural environment and contribute sustainably back to its economy, Canada needs people who have gone through its own educational system, who have accepted as well as are being accepted into its mainstream culture, who are proven to be more adaptable after a relatively more gradual phase of integration. Instead of flipping houses and raising the housing market so that the locals are not able to afford their homes anymore, international students are much more likely to graduate and either fill in the gap in the job market or become an entrepreneur and provide job opportunities to others, which in turn really helps to boost the long-term growth of the country.

I landed in Canada five years ago as an international student, finished my Master of Management Program in Vancouver, worked for a few different firms both Vancouver and Toronto, and moved to London a year ago. I first started volunteering at a co-working place called Innovation Works, then was inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit in the space, found my own passion, and transitioned to start my own business.

Time flies and now I am about to embark on another journey of my life. My husband and I decided to travel around the world for two years while running our business Beyond and Be Green Monkey online. A lot of people ask us why do you want to go travel and why for so long? Well, the shortest answer is that we love experiencing different cultures and meeting people from all over the world. Also, we want to explore more of who we really are as individuals and as a couple. We want it to be for two years because we both know that this trip is not going to be a vacation or weekend getaway for us, but a lifestyle change. We want to take our time to really immerse ourselves in whole new worlds!

I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have helped me, inspired me, and cared for me in the past year. I enjoyed my life in London immensely and I know very well that it is because of the people I’ve met and got to know in the community. You made me fall in love with the city and I will forever cherish the beautiful connections I’ve made here! I will keep updating my journey on both my personal blog and posting daily videos on Instagram through Anmol’s profile under the hashtag #Project731Days. I’d like to invite you to follow us and stay in touch.

Here is a map of all the places that we are planning to visit. Since it is a self-exploration journey, we also just want to play by the ear and travel to wherever we feel like at that moment, if that makes sense That being said, we still want to let you know the rough plan because we need your help. If you see a place where you’ve been to or have friends/family/connections, please let us know and we would greatly appreciate it if you can share some travel tips with us or get us connected to your friends in the local areas. We want to maximize our chance of experiencing the local culture by making friends with local people. Your warm introduction might just open the door of a memorable stay and life-long friendship for us!

If you need more details, here are the cities in each country that we are currently planning to visit and the rough timeline:

We are leaving on October 22nd and are very tight with our preparation at this moment. So if I do not get a chance to say goodbye to you individually, please forgive me! If you see me around in the space, please come and say bye!

I’ll miss all my friends in Canada… This past year has been such a defining stage of my life and I am so grateful for all of you who have made an impact on my growth! But I believe that life is an adventure and I have to keep going

Love you all so much! And Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers,

Melody

]]>https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/10/08/travel-around-the-world-for-2-years-need-your-help/feed/7melodyrunminwurawpixel-191102-unsplash.jpgDo I take the path less travelled?https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/09/30/hi-caylin/
https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/09/30/hi-caylin/#respondMon, 01 Oct 2018 02:43:21 +0000http://myvibrantchaos.wordpress.com/?p=249Continue reading →]]>Recently I got a question from a friend about career choices and entrepreneurship. She asked:

“I am curious to know what are some ways for one to fund themselves once they’ve decided to commit to their entrepreneur business full time. Do you suggest someone to work full-time/part-time for living income and grow their business on the side?

I am thinking about that now I am in the process of looking for jobs, maybe I should have a job with the skills I currently have, put food on the table, and work on my own business at the same time. Or is it a better idea to choose a more challenging position to grow, gain experiences, and then pick up my business idea later?

How did you feel back then when you made the decision to become a full-time entrepreneur? How do you feel now? Was it a difficult decision?”

I think it was a really good question so I spent some time, thought it through, and formulated below reply to her. I’m sharing my thoughts here just in case you are also struggling with a similar dilemma and are looking for some clarity.

I would say that what it comes down to is a choice highly dependent on what exactly your business idea is, why you want to pursue it, and how you want to pursue it. Let’s look at them one by one.

What exactly is your business idea?

This is important because, for some ideas, timing is very crucial. Maybe if you lose the great timing, you will have to work so much harder in the future to catch up and face fierce competition. For other ideas, you can take as long as you need to develop the idea or your skills. One of my favourite TEDTalk is about the surprising benefit of “procrastinating”. Check it out if you are intrigued. “The surprising habits of original thinkers | Adam Grant”.

The business idea itself also determines how you fund yourself and your businesses. The revenue sources of a nonprofit organization (grant or donations, for example) can be very different from that of a for-profit organization (so many ways to generate revenues, depending on your business model). And funding for a physical product (crowdfunding like Kickstarter, for example) can be very different from that of a service (because it is not so easy to present a working prototype on crowdfunding source for a service).

Why do you want to pursue your business idea?

That’s what I call the Why-Power (will-power alone is not enough!). You have to start with why. Sometimes the answer is not so much about “Can I afford to chase my dreams with all the risks and opportunity cost?” but more of a question like “Can I afford NOT to chase my dreams?” To me, it was a very easy choice. After I walked out of my “quarter-life crisis”, I started to see what really matters to me, what truly makes me happy, and why life is worth living. Then I found my passion and my drive. Once I figured that part out, there was really no other option for me. I knew that I had to do what I decided to do because no one was really doing it and it was the only thing that would make me happy and fulfilled.

The why-power is very important not only because it is what gets you started in the first place, but also because it will be what keeps you going. Before people enter into entrepreneurship, they usually have no idea what it takes. It’s nobody’s fault simply because they will never know until they experience it themselves. I certainly had no idea what I got myself into when I made that decision a year ago. I would caution anyone who wants to pursuit entrepreneurship without a strong enough reason.

The reason does not have to be grand or altruistic. It can be “to make enough money to support my family” or “to just make myself proud”, as long as you think it is worthwhile. No matter what your why is, it has to be strong enough! That is because there will be many challenges along the way and if your why-power is not strong enough, at one point when it becomes too much, or when you are facing a defeat or setback, you will give up.

On the contrary, if you are very clear on why you started your business and why you are doing what you are doing, the why-power will be strong enough to carry you all the way through. All challenges will suddenly look very necessary to prepare you for whatever is yet to come, you will appreciate them, and you can quickly learn to treat failures as learning opportunities.

In the end, the why-power is also how you stay true to yourself. I highly recommend the TEDTalk or the book “Start with Why” from Simon Sinek. What the TEDTalk did not mention but was included in the book was this reality in which people with no clear why-power, even after they have gained the fame or wealth that people admire, they do not necessarily feel happy. That is because although it is possible to start a business and succeed without knowing exactly why you are doing what you are doing, it is likely that you will eventually feel lost.

Another way to explain the why-power is that, if you are not sure whether to chase your dream, you simply do not want it bad enough. That is totally fine. We all have many different interests in life and not all of them can become our career. However, when you do find something that makes you no longer want to hold back, then your choice is made already. It’s like you’ve found your purpose and your calling (not meant to sound religious or spiritual here).

How do you want to pursue entrepreneurship?

Let’s say “to have a job with the skills I currently have, put food on the table, and work on my own business at the same time” is Option #1 and “to choose a more challenging position to grow, gain experiences, and then pick up my business idea later” is Option #2. And to be a full-time entrepreneur is Option #3.

A lot of people choose Option #1 and that’s what basically how Tim Ferris started. Just make money with something and use that money to do what you really want to do. The book “The $100 Startup” by Chris Guillebeau has a lot of examples of people doing just that. So it is a totally valid option, as long as the money making job is not consuming all your time and sucking all your energy…

Option #2 is not a bad one, either. You don’t have to owe a business to be an entrepreneur, which is Option #3. I love Eric Ries’ definition of an entrepreneur and a start-up. Basically, he says in his book “The Lean Startup” that entrepreneurs are everywhere and you do not need to work in a garage to be an entrepreneur; any organization or a part of an organization that involves a lot of risk-taking and innovation is a startup. It might be a buzzword, but you can achieve your entrepreneurial goals by being an “intrepreneur”, a person who behaves like an entrepreneur whilst being employed.

The best option, in my mind, is to combine what you love doing and are good at, the value you can provide by doing that, and the need or gap in the market. If you can find the intersection of all three, then you should not worry about being able to support yourself while chasing your dreams. Think really hard on these three criteria. As long as you truly care about something and excel at doing it, you provide real value to others, and there is a real need for what you are providing, then money will eventually come, not as the end goal but as a by-product.

For example, in order to support my startup Beyond App which probably will not bring any revenue for a while, I am now also earning by coaching others to find their purpose and pursue their dreams. I know coaching is something that I love doing, that I can provide value to others, and that it is needed by my niche market internationals/immigrates. So it is congruent with what I believe in and what I am trying to achieve ultimately, which is to help people to have a better relationship with themselves and with others, to inspire them to have a healthy and happy life, to unleash their full potential, and to collectively make the world a better place.

I am lucky in that when I first started, my husband was very supportive and was willing to take on the responsibility of earning for both of us so that I can focus on building my business. That definitely helped a lot. But it happened like that also because I first had to believe in what I was doing so that he or any other of my supporters could believe in me.

Personally, to become a full-time entrepreneur was the best career choice I’ve ever made. I do not regret it at all. Were there difficult times that made me want to quit? Definitely. Have I ever doubted myself? All the time! But there is no regret. I am a much better person and professional than I could have ever imagined. Now I have been through what I have been through, I honestly cannot picture myself doing anything else!

]]>https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/09/30/hi-caylin/feed/0melodyrunminwuvladislav-babienko-703701-unsplash.jpgrawpixel-760060-unsplash.jpgSuccess Buddies Providing Innovation for Trio of Entrepreneurs (shared)https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/09/23/success-buddies-providing-innovation-for-trio-of-entrepreneurs-shared/
https://myvibrantchaos.com/2018/09/23/success-buddies-providing-innovation-for-trio-of-entrepreneurs-shared/#respondMon, 24 Sep 2018 03:48:37 +0000http://myvibrantchaos.com/?p=243Continue reading →]]>Officially one month left to go before we leave Canada to travel around the world for two years. In the midst of the hectic preparation, I am also getting emotional.

Today I am not going to write, but going to share something with you. Here is a blog that Innovation Works once posted, featuring me and my Success Buddies. I am sharing it here on my platform today to show how much I value this small but strong mastermind group and our friendships.